Race Reports 09 Oct 2007 08:22 am
ZM Octoberfest Challenge
I raced in the ZM Octoberfest Challenge cyclocross race last Sunday. The race was fun, and as Alan Hawley was taking care of the timing, there were none of the timing issues of last year, and the results include lap times, which is neat to look at. I was riding my True North Cycles custom cyclocross bike set up singlespeed, with 39:17 gearing. The course was flatter than last week, so I upp’ed the gear a little and all was good. For the first couple of laps, I was riding with a Michelin Mud 2 on the front and a Michelin Jet on the rear at 55 psi front and back. This combo worked super, as the grass was wet, but over a hard surface. A couple of laps in though, I slid on my shoes dismounting before the stairs and slammed the front tire into the steps. This resulted in a slow pinch flat and I rode the rest of the lap slowly loosing pressure. I didn’t have any spare wheels out, but luckily Peter Mogg (Hub Bicycle Shop) was standing around the pit area and I stole his front wheel for the rest of the race. Thanks Pete!!!! He was running a Maxxis Raze, but I think the Mud 2 was a better choice for me – I could rail into the corners significantly faster. After that minor debocle, I spent the rest of the race over the redline trying to catch the 14 riders that had passed my while I was changing my flat. I reeled in 12 of them, ending up 11th out of 34. I’d like to have seen where I’d have been without the flat, but even with, it was a great race.
